The Blue City

The blue city of Viirdan was considered by people to be the most
breathtaking city in all of Helliom. Unlike capitals in other Pallidons,
Viirdan didn't really follow any set order or structure. Streets wound and
turned and seemed to snake their way around the buildings, rather than the streets
being built to suit the buildings. All buildings in Viirdan were required to be
blue, even the temples, and whilst to foreigners this seemed a strange
practice, if you asked any citizen of the capital they would tell you with
hesitation why it was so.

Thousands of years ago, before the Pallidons
existed and before there were any Kings or High Kings, the people of Helliom
wandered their respective lands as nomadic tribes. They never sought to settle
anywhere and were content to take what the land would give them, even if at
times what the land gave them was famine and disease. It was believed that all
things came from The Four, their mighty Gods, and as such they did not question
the good or the bad. To do so was to imply you knew better than them and in
those days, that was a death sentence.

When a small group of nomads known as the Vishan
arrived at this coastal paradise they did something no other tribe had done in
the history of Helliom. They settled. They began to experiment with more
permanent buildings, using their tents as structural guides and reinforcing
them with mud. As time went on they discovered more and more complex building
methods and after much trial and error, began building large dwellings and
public buildings. The first of these was the Grey Temple, so named for the
obvious colouring if the mud they used to build all structures in the large
town that was now known as Viirdan.

The building of the temple had been a huge
project for the people, involving all levels of artisans and tradesmen working
day and night, in order to create a space that would do their gods justice.
Once complete, the priests or priestesses of each order came to bless it,
calling on their patron deities to watch over all who entered and keep them
safe. It was by no means a comparison to the temples found in any of the cities
or townships these days but it was still a sanctuary for those who wished to
commune with their gods.

The Vishanti lived in relative harmony with the
land. They did not excavate hills or dredge bodies of water to build their city
as it expanded but rather built with the shape of the earth around them and
over time this lead the undulating nature of the capital. Other tribes
had done the same as them and built similar settlements that grew, over time,
to dwarf Viirdan in size but never in beauty. It was the beauty of the city
that had led to the Sky War.

The fact
that he was in a city that essentially stripped him of his powers was more than
a little disconcerting. He felt like a gladiator thrown into the ring with a
swordsman and told to fend him off with this bare hands. Mages were, officially
anyway, forbidden from engaging in physical combat be it with weapons or
without and that meant a Mage without Hala was a target here as they would not
be able to defend themselves. He had dressed as inconspicuously as he could,
not so well dressed as to attract unwanted attention and not so poorly as to
appear out of place. The small bag of coins he carried underneath his coat
would feed a family here in the city for months and as much as he enjoyed
charity work, he would rather not have to rely on the kindness of strangers to
get by here in Viirdan. He might not look like a Mage right now but his high
level of education and slight build would give him away as one within moments
of meeting someone.

At the main
gate, he showed the two guards his invitation from King Terrian, their eyes
registering surprise that their schooled faces did not. The invitation identified
him fully and as Mages were extremely uncommon visitors to the palace, even
their training was no match for human nature. He smiled charmingly at them and
they returned wary but friendly smiles, bowing and indicating that he should
enter. It was a tricky situation for a soldier to be in. They grow up and are
then trained to distrust and despise Mages and are then placed into positions
where they are likely to come into contact with them far more often than a
normal Vishanti citizen would. Mages were given a higher level of status than
most nobility in Helliom and were therefore afforded a respect that otherwise
would not have been given here.

The inside
of the palace was even more beautiful than the city. Water features and mosaics
dotted the grounds and there was a hushed sense of tranquillity one would not
expect to find in a palace. Servants didn’t run to and fro here, unlike other
palaces, they walked at steady but measured paces, ensuring their footsteps
were as quiet as possible and did not disrupt the gentle sounds of the water
features and birds. Today was a busy day it seemed as there were a number of
nobles and scholars waiting around the entry to the court, no doubt hoping to
get a glimpse of the Mage they had all heard would be visiting the king. What
they did not know though was that the visit was private and would not be part
of public court proceedings, so their wait would be for naught.

A woman who
was towards the back of the crowd turned to speak into the ear of another woman
beside her and Urthen caught her eye. Stopping midway through whatever she had
been saying the woman just stared at him, her eyes full of surprise and what
seemed to be revulsion. Clearly his disguise had been fine for the city proper
but here, his inconspicuous clothing marked him out and drew attention. The
other woman turned to see why her friend had stopped speaking let out a yelp of
surprise when she spotted him, causing most of the crowd to turn and look in
his direction. It was obvious that whilst they would not get to see his meeting
with the king, they would still get a short chance to look down on him and
judge.

“Master
Urthen?” asked a deep voice from behind him.

He turned to
see an impossibly tall man standing behind him, dressed in the robes of a royal
adviser but built like an army captain. His jawline was so strong and angular
that Urthen was sure it could chisel stone and his features were marred with
scars and a nose that had been broken one too many times. He was by no means an
ugly man and Urthen imagined more than one of the women in the court here
probably fantasised about him, but he was imposing even to Urthen. After Urthen
had recovered from the surprise of the man’s arrival, he extended a hand to the
adviser who took it in a firm almost crushing grip. It was hard to say if this
was intentional or if the man was more used to holding a sword than another
person’s hand.

“Yes,
pleased to meet you. You must be Adviser Rishon.” Urthen said.

“I am and I
welcome you to palace of King Terrian, Guardian of the Viirdan Coast and
Watcher of the West.” said Rishon formally.

“It’s a
pleasure to be here.” replied Urthen. “Although I am not sure the court shares
your welcome in quite the same way.”

“Mages
rarely come to Viirdan of their own free will.” Rishon said simply.

“I must
admit, it certainly does make one feel more than a little exposed. I honestly
can’t remember the last time I was in a place that made me feel so on edge.”

This had
always been part of Urthen’s charm. He always made the other person feel as though
they had some advantage over him, be it intellectual or physical, and he had
found it always helped to ease tension and made for much more relaxed
communication. Whilst he did notice the corners of Rishon’s mouth twitch as if
to smile, there was no other indication of his mood or demeanour changing. It
was not the first time Urthen had been in the presence of military trained men
turned politicians and he truly did not expect much more of a reaction than he
had gotten.

“If you
would follow me please, I will take you through the side entrance to the
court.” Rishon said.

Every single
pair of eyes was on him by this stage and he felt he knew what it must be like
for animals behind bars in zoos. They all watched and Adviser Rishon led him
away from the grounds and through a small but ornate door on the far left hand
wall. Once he was out of sight, Urthen sighed loudly and Rishon actually turned
to see if he was ok. He smiled at the enormous man and indicated he was fine,
even though he doubted the adviser was overly concerned with his comfort. He
wondered if there would ever come a day when Mages were not made to feel like
criminals in Vishanti but he knew the answer. As long as the Blue Fall came
every year, they had an annual reminder of why they hated his kind.

The side
passage to the court was one used by members of the royal family to get in and
out of the hall without having to clear through the press of people. It was
unadorned, unlike the rest of the palace, and this was in part to ensure that
the area was easily monitored by the king’s guards. Tapestries and sculptures
might obscure the view of a waiting assassin and the Vishanti king has many
enemies who would relish a chance to have him killed in his own palace. There
had only ever been one attempt on King Terrian’s life since he had been crowned
and the man’s body still hung from an archway above the entrance to the
dungeons, no more than a skeleton now.

Felisa Yoder Osburn:
I really enjoyed the story. Civil War stories are some of my favorites and the intertwining of the past with current times was wonderful. I look forward to reading the next stories.

JWalker:
I loved this story from start to finish! It flows at a really nice pace and the story world feels so real. The fight sequences are a treat especially when Isanfyre is training to become a warrior. I found the names really cool and thankfully easy to pronounce. Personally I have always struggled w...

littlebunnypoopoos:
Omg this was so amazing! The ending was a little bad and predictable. But otherwise, I need a second book or I'll die :D The character development was excellent and the whole romance, action, and suspense was superb

Janna Niemi:
This book turned out to be a real page turner and I loved it. It could have gone on a bit longer but the ending was great although it wasn't completely a happy ending. The characters were great and the whole aspect of a whole different world appealed to me very much

Charlie_8472:
Recommended to me by a friend, I thought I'd give this a read. As a hobbyist blacksmith, the blurb certainly caught my attention. I found the sentence about them drinking, dancing and fighting a strange combination of activities, perhaps a reflection of the writer’s personality and humour. Howeve...

colt:
i love your books! all of them! i am so happy for you! when i first read your book i thought "this seems really interesting" and i just got hooked had to have more, i wondered if you had a sequel to the first one, and you did, i was so excited that i had to start reading it. your series left me t...

ynez2005:
I LOVE THIS BOOK SOOOOO MUCH!!!!Though you really need to make another book,more Princesses!!! Whoooo!!!Girl Power!!!Mabey it could even be Devona's BFF???That would make it even better!!!Plus can you pleeease make Akki come back,together with Thea and Authur amd the whole family is back!Other th...

Hali McGowan:
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spooky jedi:
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makaylakay:
I love love this story! It's written incredibly and well thought-out plot! I love how it's a different twist in fantasy fiction, other then the usual vampire or werewolves. Love the romantics and drawn to the two characters so much already! This book will draw you in within the first chapter and ...

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This book is absolutely amazing, it kept me on my toes through the entire book. I hope there is a second book. I would 10 out of 10 recommend this for anyone who loves fantasy, action or romance because it is full of all three 💕

Hudson:
Your story was fantastic Erin! The Rising Sun was one of the first stories I read on Inkitt, and I have to say I don't regret the three to four days I spent pouring through the story.Probably the biggest strength I see in your writing is your characterisation of Eliana, Oriens, and the rest of th...

ernbelle:
When I first started this story I was a little unsettled by all of the information that appears in the prologue, and wasn't sure if I would continue. However, I am very glad I did. The plot was very well thought out and really interesting. There were not any page breaks or markers to acknowledge ...

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